


Day In, Day Out

by OrangeBlossoms



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Niijima Makoto/Protagonist mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 04:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10756911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeBlossoms/pseuds/OrangeBlossoms
Summary: Ann and Shiho attend a friend’s gallery opening. Shiho observes Ann reconnecting with old friends.Post-post-post-game fic where everyone is young professionals and Ann and Shiho are a couple. Past Ann/Protagonist. Present Makoto/Protagonist. Probably spoilers, but not going out of my way to include them.





	Day In, Day Out

She clipped the the necklace in place before smoothing her cocktail dress. Their bedroom lamp covered everything in a warm glow and though their neighborhood was more residential, the nighttime city sounds filtered in through a cracked window. Ann was busy finishing her makeup in the bathroom. One vanity wasn’t really enough for both of them, but their current residence was on the smaller side. Location was more important than space at this point in their lives and between rent, neighborhood, and square meters, at least one had to lose out. Ann had argued in favor of a shorter commute so they could have more time together on the days their schedules actually aligned. Aware of her own limitations when it came to free time and happy that they were only a few blocks from a branch library for studying, Shiho had acquiesced. 

They had 9pm dinner reservations at an upscale French restaurant half a mile from the venue. The gallery opening was scheduled from 6pm until 8pm, but the man of the hour was going out to eat with their party, so Niijima had buffered in an appropriate amount of time in between. Ann had suggested the place based on some recommendations from work connections and Haru had also shared her approval based on actual experience. Their soft spoken friend was also happy to arrange transportation for the evening.

She always felt like an outsider looking in with their crew. It wasn't so much alienating as fascinating. The group dynamics were comfortable in a way that didn't quite make sense based on their divergent personalities. She had heard the story from Ann about how she had met Yusuke and it had initially made her reluctant to spend much time with the artist. Ann had dragged her out to dinner one night with him while they were all still at university and he hadn't quite gotten his big break yet. She quickly realized he was just as charmingly eccentric as Ann had relayed and she didn't put up a fuss when Ann asked if it would be ok for them to cover his meal when he had excused himself to find the men’s room. They were all poor college students at that point, but some of them were in worse financial straits than others.

 _“I’m pretty sure he’s been surviving on potato sticks…”_ Ann had leaned forward and whispered behind the back of her hand, explaining her guess at Yusuke’s diet.

In the present, her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of arms gently draped around her shoulders, a set of bracelets jangling on her partner’s wrists. 

“You look lovely tonight,” Ann purred, her face coming into partial view in the vanity mirror.

Shiho turned in her chair and planted a soft kiss on Ann’s lips before appraising the other woman. Ann wore a black and red halter dress along with garnet drop earrings and a station necklace that hung loosely as she leaned forward. She was stunning.

“As do you, sweetheart,” she smiled in response before checking her watch, an anniversary gift from last year, “We should get going.”

Ann extended a hand to help her up and they both made their way to the door. She gazed appreciatively at Ann's choice in shoes, a black pair of heels with ribbon straps that gave the impression of being tied in the back.

She put on what she mockingly referred to as her sensible sexy shoes, a pair of more supportive black flats. She wouldn't be able to wear tall and strappy things for an evening as long as this would inevitably end up being. The shoes also served to amplify their height difference, but she didn’t mind that at all. The thought gave her the inspiration to stand taller and give her girlfriend one more kiss before heading out, Ann responded enthusiastically, a pleased hum resonating against their lips, before reluctantly pulling back. 

“I guess we should try to be on time,” she sighed melodramatically.

Shiho bumped shoulders with her teasingly before beginning to lock up. As they made their way to the main floor and stepped outside, she was grateful the skies were clear. Shiho sent silent prayer in thanks for the weather’s cooperation. Not having to worry about aches meant her patience should hold out even if some of their more boisterous party members had too much wine later.

The show itself was fabulous and she looked forward to reading the response in the weekend Arts section. Yusuke’s works were otherworldly in a way that was both entrancing and unsettling. She idly swirled her glass of wine and watched at a distance as Ann talked with a subsection of their core group of friends. They seemed to have a personal connection to the artist’s works in a way that Shiho was unable to grasp. She knew Ann had her secrets and Shiho had her suspicions. Very strong suspicions based on who Ann’s associates were and when they had all apparently became friends. 

She never pressed despite how much the mystery beckoned. She noticed sometimes that they were followed when they were out together. She had been with Ann too long not to have felt the hair rise on the back of her neck at the feeling they were being monitored at a distance. Futaba making periodic trips to visit their apartment to “upgrade the wireless network” was also a ruse. Router upgrades generally didn't involve breaking leasing agreements multiple times and checking _inside_ the apartment’s walls and flooring. There also was the fact that she had witnessed Ann have what appeared to be a fairly complex and seemingly one-sided conversation with a cat except for the fact that the animal mewled and chattered expressively in response. She was fairly confident she didn’t suffer from hallucinations.

Nothing had come of it so far except how their relationship had leaked in the tabloids. In a bizarre way it had backfired against whoever had apparently targeted Ann for a smear campaign and helped her in some of her television roles. She was already typecast as a villainess. As long as her character went down in a blaze of glory, gaudy noblewoman’s laugh reduced to equally theatrical wails of anguish, there was a fervent fanbase for such a dark horse actress. Her characters sometimes even played into the role of a particular kind of deviant, attempting to entice brave heroines to a darker more indulgent existence. Shiho had felt somewhat offended by the implications, explaining that it felt exploitative, but Ann shrugged and laughed it off before distracting her with just the kind of behavior that brought on some of the public’s ire. In a quiet moment of reflection after, Ann had admitted that she hoped one day it could be different. The somber mood then shifted as Ann smiled wistfully, insisting that in the remake the villainess would allow the heroine to take her heart, she would then be reformed and they would fight off the true enemy side-by-side.

Her girlfriend seemed to have support online and even in some traditional print media. She sometimes wondered if it had to do with their narrow group’s surprisingly extensive network of contacts. From what she could tell, most of the web led back to Kurusu, but he certainly wasn't the only one with connections. As if to prove her point, she noticed Niijima standing next to Kurusu who was listening to Hifumi Togo, one of the few women to break into the upper echelons of the male-dominated world of professional shogi. In the next room, Haru was in what looked almost like business talks with a serious looking woman with a striking mane of red tresses. Next to her was an actress colleague of Ann’s though Shiho wondered if Ann was even her connection to this event. Only a few meters away, Ann’s old homeroom teacher of all people was laughing at something a politician had said. 

Kurusu himself appeared quiet as always. It had been one of the reasons Ann had said they hadn't worked out. The other being his interest in Niijima. Kurusu and Niijima had graduated high school and ended up at the same university. Their paths kept crossing in ways that had led Ann to a teary confrontation where she and Kurusu mutually decided to end things. That same night she had called up Shiho and asked her to meet at a bar with the intention of drowning her sorrows in some half-priced well drinks.

_“I can't… I can't talk to any of the others about it. I’m not even mad at Mako-chan. I don't think she knows he has feelings for her. I don't think he was cheating,”_ Ann had said, averting her eyes. 

Shiho hadn't been so sure and while she was always courteous, she had never quite warmed to the two in the same way she had become friends with others from Ann's entourage. She had vowed to help Ann weather that storm like Ann had supported her during some of her bleakest moments. 

It had started with distractions and dinners. One week would be late night karaoke like they had done in high school, crooning to the latest idol’s tracks. Ann sometimes would pick a title in English and Shiho would do her best to keep up, both ending in a pile of inebriated giggles over some of the more difficult lyric sets. Another weekend found them people watching in Harajuku before exploring side streets in search of a gyoza shop Ann had been sure was down one alley or another. Ryuji had met up with them. He scolded Ann for taking forever and then Shiho for trusting Ann to navigate. Some of Ann’s friends would respond just as enthusiastically to Shiho’s requests to meet up as they would Ann’s, possibly due to sharing a similar goal of smoothing over an awkward break up, but the warm response was a balm on Shiho’s own heart.

The outings continued for several months until she realized she was having difficulty curbing her feelings, the flame that was Ann rekindling what had once been a torch from her adolescence that she was surprised to find she still carried. Acknowledging it only made it burn all the brighter. During one outing on their way to the train station from dinner, they had fumbled their way through a mutual confession. She remembered their relieved laughter. It wasn't long before she found herself fully placing her trust and her heart in Ann’s possession despite her own personal uncertainties and the questions she had that Ann felt it safer not to answer. 

Now she was out with Ann at Yusuke's gallery opening not simply as a plus one, but a guest of his own choosing. There had been other obstacles, of course. Family was a challenge that at times felt insurmountable whether it was Ann’s parents’ detached well-wishes from afar that held very little weight in the reality of their situation, or her parents’ grave disappointment and shock at the news. It almost felt as though her choices weren’t upsetting, but rather the unwilling publicity of those choices and the inconveniences attached to that were the most offensive aspects. On bad days, friends were the warmth she needed after periods where she had to expend all her energy just to keep her head above water. She had come to realize her personal history was no more or less tragic than most of their own. To compete in misery was not to her taste in the first place, but in a way their struggles made their triumphs all the sweeter, particularly on nights like tonight.

The evening continued as their group made it over to the restaurant, congratulations and well-wishes circulating. Yusuke responding with nearly his normal muted tone, gracious yet aloof, but now and again some warmth colored his words. 

After they had ordered, small talk began. People politely asked about her residency. Being on the path to becoming a physical therapist had allowed her to better understand her own body’s needs and helped her regain the feeling of control of her life that she had felt she had lost during high school. Of all people, she was surprised to have an intensely personal conversation with Ryuji who felt he had tweaked an old injury recently and gruffly admitted to not being sure what to do about it. She had recommended a treatment center in his mother’s neighborhood. Though he was working full-time, he did most of his mother’s grocery shopping and would visit her several times a week. To a few at their table’s dismay, he had insisted on ordering bottled beer despite an extensive wine list. He was several bottles and a few complimentary dinner rolls into the meal when he mentioned something that caused Ann to grip her wrist tightly as if willing her attention to be elsewhere. She placed a hand over her partner’s in acknowledgment, but kept her eyes trained on Ryuji’s unfocused gaze. 

“I always wanted to say it, but it never seemed like a good time. I’m really sorry we didn't get that bastard sooner.”

She had felt herself begin to disassociate from the scene, Ann’s hand around her wrist now an anchor to the present. She could think about the past, but the comment had been so unanticipated that she had been unable to completely prevent what was often a visceral reaction.

Suddenly the food was arriving, the controlled chaos was enough to return her to the restaurant. She realized Ann had been rubbing her back only when the comforting pressure was removed. A dish of buttery sole meunière was placed in front of her and she smiled weakly to Ann.

Ann leaned into her again, hand on her arm, “Sorry about Ryuji… he means well, but he sometimes… doesn’t think,” she whispered.

She shook her head in response. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m ok,” she said, pulling one of Ann’s hands close and squeezing it in reassurance.

She refocused herself with a deep breath and was pleased to see she was able to raise her glass of Chablis with only slight tremors. Despite her nerves, she was still hungry. Shortly after the table grew silent as everyone began enjoyed their main courses, she had nearly jumped out of her seat when she felt something that wasn’t Ann’s foot brush against her leg. To her surprise and dismay, Kurusu’s cat was under their table. Ann had shooed him away, but not before delicately handing over a large slice of her salmon en croute. 

“I think he's worried he won't have a chance at any leftovers,” Ann said by way of explanation. She did her best to conceal the look that told Ann it didn’t really explain anything. Ann shrugged sheepishly in response.

When their waitress reappeared with the dessert menu, Ann had already charted a path to trying most of the items by negotiating with several people over who would order what. When the tray arrived, it was met with cheers from several individuals who Shiho would have thought had eaten enough based on the main course and appetizers that had been ordered. Thankfully their party was large enough to get one of the rooms in the back so as not to disturb the other diners even if someone had smuggled in a cat. After dessert, Niijima stood up and gave a belated toast to Yusuke's future success, Ann punctuating the speech partway through with a cheerful _“Hear, hear!”_ , some of the others joining in and raising their glasses unintentionally cutting her off. Niijima had looked somewhat ruffled before offering a genuine smile and clinking her glass of coffee first with the neighboring Haru and then Kurusu. 

As the evening winded down, Haru had insisted on dropping them off and the three of them promising to catch up over tea sometime soon. They dragged themselves up the stairs to their third floor apartment, opting against waiting for the elevator. Ann wobbled slightly as she removed her shoes while still standing, one arm on Shiho’s shoulder for balance.

“Ahhh… that was so nice… almost as nice as taking these heels off,” she sighed, punctuating her statement by unceremoniously dropping a shoe on the floor. 

Shiho rewarded her with a hoarse chuckle. She had talked more than normal tonight.

“Hmmm Futaba-chan’s birthday is up next. My guess is we’ll go for sushi again,” Ann laughed a bit. 

Shiho hummed in acknowledgement. 

Ann continued to chatter as she removed her jacket and then her own shoes, reorganizing both of theirs on a rack. 

“I forgot how good it feels to just… take a night off! Not worry about work or bills or whatever! I hope you had fun, too!” 

“Let’s take the morning off, too,” she suggested, hopeful.

“That sounds wonderful.”

When the alarm went off the next morning, Ann mumbling incoherently in response to the noise, she switched it off before snuggling closer to the other body under the covers. The world could wait. They would take their time and enjoy the moments they had together.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes:  
> I think Ann and Shiho could be really sweet (let’s just count Ann’s Rank 9 as a Shiho confession, ok?). I also think relationship (friendly, romantic, and/or antagonistic!) dynamics have a lot of interesting potential in the Persona universe. Everyone's play through will be different. I also didn’t mean for this to be all that angsty, but I rewatched some of the Shiho scenes and I think that colored things a bit.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Small Steps](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828992) by [MirrorMystic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorMystic/pseuds/MirrorMystic)




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